First Med Urgent Care: Lessons

We will never forget the sound of our father’s voice following us out the door as a reminder to check the oil. At that point in time, we didn’t understand just how important that lesson was. We never understood until we or someone who knew, were stuck on the side of the road with a broken down vehicle. It only takes one time of being stranded to know that Dad did know what he was talking about.

A few other lessons we learned from Dad that contribute to our overall well being include: Being active, working hard, and getting the rest needed for the pursuits of the day.

Many have memories of dad playing catch, encouraging sports, encouraging activity of any kind. In some cases this may have just been Dad’s way of helping us get that superkid energy out so we could sleep that night, but whatever reason, Dad’s encouraging voice to stay active may be a deciding factor on our level of health as adults.

According to Harvard School of Public Health, benefits of physical activity include:

Improves your chances of living longer and living healthier
Helps protect you from developing heart disease and stroke or its precursors, high blood pressure and undesirable blood lipid patterns
Helps protect you from developing certain cancers, including colon and breast cancer, and possibly lung and endometrial (uterine lining) cancer
Helps prevent type 2 diabetes (what was once called adult-onset diabetes) and metabolic syndrome (a constellation of risk factors that increases the chances of developing heart disease and diabetes; read more about simple steps to prevent diabetes)
Helps prevent the insidious loss of bone known as osteoporosis
Reduces the risk of falling and improves cognitive function among older adults
Relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves mood
Prevents weight gain, promotes weight loss (when combined with a lower-calorie diet), and helps keep weight off after weight loss
Improves heart-lung and muscle fitness
Improves sleep

(Harvard School of Public Health, 2014)

Benjamin Franklin gave us the powerful quote that most dads encouraged us to live by, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Dad was right in encouraging this practice. Going to bed on time means:

Easier weight loss: Individuals who stay up late, tend to eat at a time that our bodies are not burning enough calories, and most items consumed late at night do not hold the right nutritional value.
Your body practices good sleep habits: Those who stay up, tend to develop sleep related issues such as insomnia.
Early to bed early to rise: If you go to bed on time, you are more likely to get up early enough to get more activities done, such as working out.
Better overall health: Those who go to bed on time and wake up earlier tend to have healthier hearts, have more energy, and have a better resistance to stress.

Father’s Day reminds us just how valuable dear old Dad was, is, and will be our whole lives. Whether dad is still around or just a memory of support, love, and lessons, we can celebrate Dad knowing we are the person we are today because of him.